Enzo Maresca’s first week of taking training had yielded only positivity with players telling their representatives how much they were enjoying his sessions, even the ‘double days’ which saw Chelsea’s new head coach pull on a bib to personally participate in passing drills.
A big screen installed at Cobham by the side of the pitch told them the instructions to a 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test but largely, the focus was on perfecting passing patterns with even the goalkeepers involved in rondos.
Already there is a feeling that Maresca’s tactical instructions are much clearer than his predecessor’s, the most common words out of the 44-year-old Italian’s mouth over the week being ‘well done’ whenever he saw something he liked.
Fun was had also. There was a game of tag in which the players were tasked with touching each others’ backs, Reece James telling off Tosin Adarabioyo when he cheated by leaving the coned square to evade capture.
There were ‘forfeit tunnels’ where team-mates would line up to playfully slap the man sprinting through the middle, Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto landing almighty whacks on Levi Colwill from either side. There was a long jump competition in which Christopher Nkunku particularly impressed as it was joked he ought to be at the Olympics in Paris.
Enzo Maresca’s first week of training had yielded only positivity but now a crisis has befallen the dressing room
![Enzo Fernandez filmed a video of the Argentina team singing a racist chant about France](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87378277-13644125-Enzo_Fernandez_filmed_a_video_of_the_Argentina_team_singing_a_ra-a-20_1721230858661.jpg)
![The video has been widely condemned, including by the French Football Federation](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87391513-13644125-The_video_has_been_widely_condemned_including_by_the_French_Foot-a-21_1721230858662.jpg)
Enzo Fernandez filmed a video of the Argentina team singing a racist chant about French stars
![Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana reposted it and wrote: 'Football in 2024: uninhibited racism'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87415853-13644125-Chelsea_team_mate_Wesley_Fofana_reposted_it_and_wrote_Football_i-a-24_1721230949233.jpg)
Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana reposted it and wrote: ‘Football in 2024: uninhibited racism’
Their reward at the end of this exhausting-but-beneficial week was a rest day on Sunday as they watched Marc Cucurella’s Spain pip Cole Palmer’s England in the final of Euro 2024.
All was calm, but then came the storm, with Mail Sport revealing how Chelsea had launched an investigation into the Instagram video uploaded by their £106.8million midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Footage showed the 23-year-old, alongside members of the Argentinian national team, celebrating their Copa America triumph over Colombia in the early hours of Monday by enthusiastically singing a song which the French football federation have described as ‘racist and discriminatory’ while promising to file a legal complaint to FIFA, football’s world governing body.
With that, civil war unfolded at Chelsea and as is the modern way, social media took centre stage.
Chelsea’s squad is made up of a large number of footballers from France, such as Fofana, Gusto, Nkunku, Lesley Ugochukwu, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile. Sources speaking anonymously to Mail Sport said there was fury among the French contingent as they began to unfollow Fernandez on Instagram, while Fofana went one further by uploading a screenshot of his team-mate with the caption: ‘Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.’
It was a disaster for Chelsea – one of their players publicly accusing another of racist behaviour – and came on the same day that the club were advertising for a new ‘head of football communications’ on LinkedIn. Fofana’s reward for speaking up was to have his own Instagram littered with abuse, much of it racial until the Frenchman finally suspended his comments section after seeing it turn into a total cesspit.
Fernandez tried to make amends with his team-mates with a private apology sent to the squad via their internal messaging system. He then apologised publicly on social media, a few fans mocking his odd choice of Comic Sans as he wrote: ‘The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words.
‘I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my character or beliefs. I am truly sorry.’
![Malo Gusto (right) is one of multiple Chelsea stars to unfollows Fernandez on Instagram](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87454799-13644125-Malo_Gusto_right_is_one_of_multiple_Chelsea_stars_to_unfollows_F-m-28_1721231053121.jpg)
Malo Gusto (right) is one of multiple Chelsea stars to unfollows Fernandez on Instagram
![Axel Disasi (left) was another of the first Blues stars to unfollow Fernandez on the app](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87423249-13644125-Axel_Disasi_left_was_another_of_the_first_Blues_stars_to_unfollo-a-29_1721231074099.jpg)
Axel Disasi (left) was another of the first Blues stars to unfollow Fernandez on the app
![Nicolas Jackson came out in support of his Chelsea team-mate in a series of Instagram posts](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87436909-13644125-Nicolas_Jackson_came_out_in_support_of_his_Chelsea_team_mate_in_-a-30_1721231085500.jpg)
Nicolas Jackson came out in support of his Chelsea team-mate in a series of Instagram posts
![Fernandez took to social media apologise for his actions after Argentina's Copa America win](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87423307-13644125-Fernandez_has_taken_to_social_media_to_apologise_for_his_actions-a-5_1721230297779.jpg)
Fernandez took to social media apologise for his actions after Argentina’s Copa America win
Chelsea’s own statement followed, the reason for the delay being that they wanted to speak to Fernandez first in order to verify the video was real. Clubs have been spooked by a rise in fake footage created using Artificial Intelligence, such as those of Gareth Southgate during Euro 2024.
Once they had heard from Fernandez, they announced: ‘Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome. We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.’
The crisis continued when two Chelsea strikers posted contrasting messages to their Instagram pages. Nicolas Jackson seemingly showed solidarity for his friend by posting a picture of Fernandez playing with a young black mascot.
David Datro Fofana followed with a post of his own which read: ‘The football that I like is multi-ethnic. Racism in all its forms should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts have no place in football or even anywhere else. This fight really needs to be taken seriously by everyone involved in this sport.’
Now, Chelsea are less than seven days from travelling to the United States, a trip in which Fernandez is unlikely to join the group. FIFPro’s recommendation is that professional footballers are allowed a four-week break, though the individual can choose to cut short his holiday of his own volition. Mykhailo Mudryk was with Ukraine when they exited Euro 2024 on June 26 but reported to Cobham for his first day with Chelsea on July 8, keen to impress Maresca.
Other Premier League clubs with representatives in the Argentinian national team have avoided commenting, largely because there is no proof their player was involved in the controversial chanting whereas Fernandez was the one holding the mobile phone. Like Chelsea, FIFA are now looking into the incident, while the Football Association are not currently involved.
The likelihood is Fernandez will be seen wearing a Chelsea shirt again soon enough, taking his place on the pitch alongside the French players offended by his behaviour.
![Argentina were celebrating winning a second successive Copa America title on Sunday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87434615-13644125-Argentina_were_celebrating_winning_a_second_successive_Copa_Amer-a-6_1721230322952.jpg)
Argentina were celebrating winning a second successive Copa America title on Sunday
![The song originated in public when Argentina fans chanted it on TV at the 2022 World Cup](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/64643355-13644125-The_song_originated_in_public_when_Argentina_fans_chanted_it_on_-a-7_1721230339487.jpg)
The song originated in public when Argentina fans chanted it on TV at the 2022 World Cup
![The split in Chelsea's dressing room provides an early test for new boss Enzo Maresca](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87436637-13644125-The_split_in_Chelsea_s_dressing_room_provides_an_early_test_for_-a-8_1721230389026.jpg)
The split in Chelsea’s dressing room provides an early test for new boss Enzo Maresca
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87435427-13644125-image-a-12_1721230583217.jpg)
![Fans voiced their displeasure, with many calling for the midfielder to be sold this summer](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87435425-13644125-Fans_similarly_voiced_their_displeasure_with_many_calling_for_th-a-11_1721230581046.jpg)
Fans voiced their displeasure, with many calling for the midfielder to be sold this summer
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87435431-13644125-image-a-13_1721230612357.jpg)
![There were others who claimed that the 23-year-old no longer deserves to play for the Blues](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/17/16/87435435-13644125-There_were_others_who_claimed_that_the_23_year_old_no_longer_des-a-14_1721230614352.jpg)
There were others who claimed that the 23-year-old no longer deserves to play for the Blues
Signed in January 2023, he was an expensive asset brought in on an eight-and-a-half year contract from Benfica, meaning the midfielder who broke the British transfer record at £106.8m is in line to be reunited with the squad ahead of the new season.
While this chant occurred outside of the club environment, the expectation is that Fernandez will be fined upon the conclusion of Chelsea’s investigation, perhaps with an educational course to follow.
Maresca will hope the harmonious vibe created over his first week of training can continue as they prepare for the new Premier League season, though it would appear Fernandez has serious work to do in order to gain the forgiveness of his peers.